The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-09-14
Wastefm Methods in Feeding.

Correspondence Country Gentleman.l
It seems as though waste was the
motto of many farmers. They literally
throw away their capital. Fodder is cap
itsl, and 1t is flung about the barnyard as
If it was worthless commodity; and 1t
is trodden under foot, scattered around
and wasted on every side. This is not the
way other business men handle their as
sets; they save them, and try to turn
them into the most money.
It seems to be the rule to feed animals at
loss. Nothing should ever be fed in
barnyard. The stable is the place, and in
tight manger, where nothing can be
wasted. Too much fodder is piled up In
front of animals for them to breathe upon.
until they are very hungry. They should
have just what they will eat up clean. If
given more than this they will pick it over
and eat the best parts, and the rest will 90
to waste. We were feeding some bright
clover and timothy and hay to a lot of
calves and yearlings, aud when given a
manger full more than nalf was LETT In the
manger and went to waste; when given
half as much they ate it all. The stems
were coarse but good. and too valuable to
go directly to the manure pile.
On some farms enough straw is wasted
to make handsome income All straw is
Ioor food, as it lacks in both the elements
of growth and fat The proportions are so
small that animals cannot eat enough to
make much gain. They will live on il, but
the farmer wants more. By the addition
of little meal the straw can be sold in
good market on the farm and be had for
manure at the same time. This is Just
what the farmer wants, to convert into q
fertilizer all the fodder and grain he can
which has paid good profit upon itself in
other ways, as meat, butter or cheese.
When this is done the farm will always be
profitable.
have often said / would be willing to
buy tons of food for animals if it paid for
itself in the meat it would make, and leave
me the manure clear for the labor. l have
paid out thousands of dollars on this basis.
1t works we'll when meats are as high COM
paratively as grain, but does not leave
much margin. Unless under very favora-
bic circumstances the rule is the other way.
The fresh meat shipments have upset the
profits OF such system at present in the
East. With OK beef worth no more than
4zc pound live weight, one can not now
buy feed and make beef and keep even
The farmer who has the fodder can winter
cattle and feed them on grass and make a
gain.
Another common mistake with many is
to try to winter too many animals on the
amount OF fodder In store. The result is
they all come ont poor, and it takes half
OF the summers feed to get them back to
the condition they were in when the win
ter began. Here is loss of the winters
keep and half of the summers, and the
only profit there is during the year is that
had during the last part of the grass feed
ing. / insist that If my animals, except
the old ones, do not grow all winter, am
losing money. What am feeding for il
they do not gain in size and weight? Old
er cattle should not lose in condition, aud
II they should chance to be COWS, they
should return milk for their food during
the greater part of the foddering season.
This is not the case with the majority of
native cows, and right here is one of the
principal benefits of thoroughbred COWS,
and most decidedly of Jerseys, that they
will give milk nearly the year round, and
months does not occur. A COW
well fed does not need to go
dry more than a month aud a half to two
months. A starved COW should go dry all
of the time. The time.was when the Eastern
farmer couid feed cattle in the winter with
a rising market. and there was q double
margin-a gain 10 weight and a gain in
price. This Is not so now, and would not
advise an attempt at fattening beeves in
winter, but a thrifty wintering for a sum-
mer topping of. Beef can be made on
grass for two or three cents a pound, but
not less than for five or six cents, live
weight, in winter, on the market value of
hay or grain. Such is my experience.
thought that If other farmers could afford
to feed cattle and sheep for slaughter on
their hay and grain, L could buy the feed
and make something too, and get the
manure. / have this winter given IL mp.
a farmer can afford to feed his own, when
another, to buy, can not do it. The mar.
gins are against the man who buys. After
all of the care and business sense which q
man may practice. if be is neglectful of
conditions, he will fail. The animals must
be kept warm, and all the other sanitary
conditions must be of the best to insure
success. Successful farming is far from q
| FOOLS business